Beef and Bean Chili

Remember last week when I made that cornbread and said it would go really well with chili? Did you expect this??

I hope you did!

This is a pretty standard chili recipe that I put a tiny bit of my own spin on. Which basically means that I added corn.

You start by cutting up your onion and pepper and sauteeing. Toss in your garlic as well and stir it around until it smells all garlicy and delicious. Then add in your ground beef. I used one pound but the recipe (from The Recipe Critic) uses two. Once the meat has cooked, add your water, tomatoes, beans, corn, and spices. Stir so that it is all incorporated and then simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Pretty easy, right? I thought so! I would definitely make this recipe again with a few modifications. I would add an extra bell pepper, add in some paprika, and take out the Italian seasoning. The original recipe calls for oregano but I subbed that for Italian seasoning and it was not a good choice. So I think it's okay to just skip it. No one will know, right?

You can serve this in a bowl with some delicious cornbread as I did for dinner, or make some fancy chili nachos with your favorite tortilla chips, some cheddar cheese, and guac! Delish!

Recipe (adapted from The Recipe Critic)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1-2 bell peppers, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 lbs lean ground beef

2 cups water or beef broth

1 8-oz can tomato suace

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen or canned corn

3 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne

1. In a large pot, add olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute until almost tender, 3-5 minutes. Add in ground beef and cook and crumble until brown.

2. Add in water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Stir to combine.

3. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until it starts to thicken, about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!